The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) donated more than 140 pounds of female adult Florida Bass from the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery Tuesday morning to help support the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Humboldt Fish Hatchery in Humboldt, Tenn.
The Tennessee agency had a shortage of female brood stock Florida Bass while Booker Fowler had an excess supply of mature Florida Bass.
“The southeastern fish hatcheries are a close-knit group. We all help each other out. If one facility has a deficit, they can reach out to another agency that has a surplus to help get their numbers up,” explained LDWF Biologist Manager Chase Chatelain from the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery. “Not only do we help each other out with fish trades, but we also share information, skills, and techniques. Just recently, Hatchery Biologist 3 Talon Jeppson and I were invited to attend a Fish Health workshop hosted by Tennessee, which has helped us further develop the skills and knowledge required to care for fish here at our Louisiana hatcheries.”
Tennessee Wildlife Manager Tom Pratt and Wildlife Technician Brandon Harrison made the 7-hour drive to Booker Fowler. They requested 40 female bass, and the Booker Fowler staff were able to deliver the fish, totaling 143.35 pounds.
Workers at Booker Fowler caught 294 mature Florida Bass that were ready for release. In addition to the 40 females sent to Tennessee, 40 bass were sent to the Woodworth Education Facility to boost the supply in the stocked pond there. The remaining 214 fish were taken to Lake Providence in northwest Louisiana and released there.
“It’s great for people who fish in the Lake Providence area,” Chatelain said. “They’ll get a bunch of tournament-quality fish right out of the gate.”
LDWF Biologist Talon Jeppson said the fish released Tuesday were raised at Booker Fowler and had been at the facility since 2016. As they age, brood stock are released into public waterways and replaced with younger fish as part of an ongoing cycle of development at the hatchery.
